


In another world, perhaps, we could be friends

by BlackSky83



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brother-Sister Relationships, Gen, Morally Ambiguous Azula, No Incest, Pre-Canon, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27985815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackSky83/pseuds/BlackSky83
Summary: In one world, she desired power. She wanted the crown, the empire (her mother). In this world… In this world, her brother is her obsession. Only he sees her as a human, only he smiles for her, only he loves her, hence, only he mattered.Azula isn’t nice; she is not cute, and generous and lady-like. But she loves her brother, and she will do anything for him. Everything (everyone) else can burn.
Relationships: Azula & Iroh (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 219





	In another world, perhaps, we could be friends

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: BabyGenius

Azula is born ruthless. She is born with fire in her soul, ice in her heart.

She’s three when she decides Mai and Ty are good enough.

She is four when she changes her path.

She’s five, she’s six, she’s eight. She is the best firebender of her age.

She’s nine and can see the ambition growing in her father’s eyes.

She’s ten, and she is a beautiful, witty, clever child. She is prodigious, the smartest child any of her tutors have ever seen. She is all that, and more; everything a princess should be. Except…Except she isn’t _nice_. It isn’t a requirement; not in this empire, where being heartless was much more appreciated. She has no sympathy, and isn’t bothered by it, not really ( _except when she looks into her mother’s eyes. Her uncle’s. Her teacher’s. They all seem to say the same thing_ ) ( ** _monster_** ).

She is ambitious, and possessive; that is more than enough.

(In one world, she desired power. She wanted the crown, the empire (her mother). In this world…)

She is fine; she is beautiful, witty, clever, prodigious, ambitious, and possessive, and, most of all, she has Zuko.

(In this world, her brother is her obsession. Only he sees her as a human, only he smiles for her, only he loved her, hence, only he mattered.)

This doesn’t change the story. Azula still grows bitter about her mother (she would take Zuko _all the time_. Zuko was _Azula’s_ , not _hers_ ). She still grows angry and jealous when her friends do something better than her (how _dare_ they _humiliate_ her in front of Zuko?). She still burns her uncle’s doll (she isn’t a child anymore).

Or, perhaps, it does change it. Azula doesn’t look for Ozai’s approval (she can see the hatred in his eyes when he looks at Zuko. _She will not allow that_ ). She doesn’t burn Zuko ( _her fire will never go near him with the intent to harm_ ). She enlists her friends in making sure Zuko is safe (because he might be older, but he is innocent, pure, _kindhearted_. That is something she will not allow the world to change). She helps him with his firebending (he needs to _learn_ how to protect himself, and their tutors are _useless_ ).

Regardless, in this world, Azula runs through the castle’s garden, her brother clutching her hand, both of them laughing until there’s no air in their lungs. In this world, Zuko lays on the grass, gently caressing Azula’s hair ( _the only one allowed_ ). In this world, perhaps is the only world, they are brother and sister, and love each other as fiercely as the sun burns.

(Their mother still disappears. Their cousin still dies. She still calls Iroh a coward).

She is ten when it happens. Ozai burns her brother’s face, a smile on his lips. She is smiling too (later, this is the image she will remember to finish her deed.) Zuko is taken away, to be cared for one last night, before leaving for an impossible mission. She leaves through another door.

She is ten, and there’s rage in her heart. She is ten, and already a master at her element. She is ten, and has friends as dangerous as she is.

(He doesn’t see it coming. He smiles at her, his favored child, who he knows will bring glory to their empire. He has just gotten rid of the last obstacle; he thinks she will be happy.

She walks towards him, her eyes bright with flames. It looks like a hug. He usually doesn’t allow it, but they are celebrating; just this once.

The knife is through his heart in the blink of an eye.

He dies smiling.)

(Later, Ty and Mai will swear they were with her in her room, trying to forget her brother’s banishment. Later, no one will question the dry (fake) tear’s on Ty’s cheeks. No one will ask about the speck of red on Mai’s gloves. No one will look for Azula’s burned dress.)

They find the body in the morning, in a pool of its own blood, cold.

A funeral is arranged ( _no one cries_ ). Iroh takes the throne. Slowly, gradually, resources for the search of the killer disappear. No one mentions it ( _they wonder…._ ).

Iroh looks at Azula, and _he knows_. She knows that he knows. He looks at the child; the ruthless, heartless child, and knows she should be arrested, for how will a child that killed her own father grow? But Iroh is old, and he is selfish, and Zuko is the closest he will ever again get to a son. He sees her heart, her willingness to hurt, her desire to _burn_. He sees a wall between Zuko and the world and cannot make himself destroy it.

(Iroh never mentions seeing her leave the room, her dress drenched in blood. Azula never mentions the new dress she gets the day after her father’s funeral.)

Azula sneaks into her brother’s room every night, snuggles into his side, and murmurs.

( _I will keep you safe. I will. I will._ It is more than a promise.) She wonders, sometimes, if Zuko knows. If he looks at her and can see the fire in her eyes. If he ever fears that fire turned against him.

(She never asks. He never says. He still hugs her every morning).

The war doesn’t stop. Not really. Iroh is strong, but not even he can overcome years of wariness, of fear and pain. The other kingdoms are reluctant to trust ( _Few alive remember the air nomads, but all know their history. Of how the fire nation asked for passage, asked for peace. How the nomads agreed to talk. How all of them were burned to the ground_ ). The fire nation’s generals are not ready to give up power, and its lords even less so. There’s no avatar this time, no being powerful enough to make everyone cooperate.

“We could look for him,” Zuko says, laying down on the sand. Azula hums. “The avatar. They should be alive, somewhere. The cycle continuous. If…. If we can convince them we truly want this war to end, maybe things will get better,” he says, wistful. Neither mentions the rumors of a coup. Neither has to.

Azula doesn’t care. She will burn anyone that tries to hurt her family. But she knows Zuko does. Knows he sees the dissent growing on the streets and worries. He always cared too much.

“Alright.”

(Somewhere, on the earth kingdom, a girl is beating adults two times her size, loneliness in her heart)

(Somewhere, far down south, two siblings are looking at a giant ice ball. They are both terrified.)

(Somewhere, the avatar is waking up. He is a child)

(Perhaps, it will be a different story this time).

**Author's Note:**

> The story was inspired by a beautiful comic in tumblr I saw a while ago, made by @blueskittlesart 
> 
> As always, lots of love for my wonderful Beta BabyGenius, who, as always, did a wonderful job. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Comments are very much appreciated and cherish.


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